Three brewing titans set to meet in Bethlehem

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania hosts the Meeting of the Malts, where experts will talk about the craft beer industry. Three towering leaders of the industry will be on tap for the fifth installment of this event, sharing their take on the current status of the beer industry Thursday at the SteelStacks.

Meeting Of The Malts V ready to convene in Bethlehem, Pa. on March 24, 2016

BETHLEHEM, Pa., March 22, 2016 — This thing commonly referred to as craft beer is all business these days. Not that it ever was anything less than serious business for Ken Grossman, Jim Koch and Dick Yuengling of Sierra Nevada (brewing since 1980), Boston Beer (brewing Samuel Adams since 1984) and D.G. Yuengling & Son (since 1829), respectively.

These three towering leaders of the beer brewing industry be on the stage at the fifth installment of Meeting Of The Malts to share their take on the current status of the beer industry Thursday in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at the SteelStacks.

But at one time, these three gentlemen were once the small guys on the brewing scene and currently sit atop the growing segment of the beer industry that is now comprises more than 4,000 small and very small brewers. Though the three, either individually or collectively, still are a relatively small percentage of the brewing output of the largest macro brewing organizations in the world, the once small craft brewers are no longer being dismissed as cute upstarts with a questionable future.

The industry, particularly in the U.S., is as dynamic and alive as ever. Questions about the coming years and any potential crossroads for the industry as it continues to grapple with tremendous growth are bound to be raised on Thursday. Questions like:

Selling to private equity firms.

Selling to macro brewing conglomerates.

Opening additional brewing facilities both across the U.S. and abroad.

Merging among craft brewers.

Innovating in a crowded industry.

Selling in a crowded market.

Maintaining and staying true to a company’s vision.

All of these topics and plenty more are sure to be discussed.

The panel discussion will occur during a five-course meal served with beers from all Samuel Adams, Sierra Nevada and Yuengling. The event runs from 7:15 to 9:30 p.m. and sits between two other events — a Pennsylvania Brewpub Festival at 5:30 p.m. and a Prohibition Party that begins at 10:15 p.m. — which should prove for both an educational and fun evening in Bethlehem.

Check back here for a post-event wrap-up.

About the writer: Bryan Kolesar has been on the trail of great beer for over 20 years and writing about it for more than 10. In 2015, his Beer Lovers Mid-Atlantic book was released and in a mere 416 pages covered the diverse beer scene of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Find his book online and in bookstores and follow him on Twitter @BrewLounge.

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Bryan Kolesar has been tracking down great beer for over twenty years.
In 2005, Bryan co-founded The Brew Lounge blog/website as a canvas to illustrate the best of the craft brewing industry and to document his own travels within it. Though he has lived in Philadelphia and is currently headquartered in the city's western suburbs, Kolesar shares a wealth of information and images that he collects from his travels around the world and some of the best beers that he has tasted along the way.
While the beer - its tastes, aromas, and incredible pairing opportunities with food - is often the beginning of a story, he often finds it more interesting to dive into the stories behind the people, places, and events associated with the final product.
In 2015, Kolesar's first published work hit the streets, the 416-page Beer Lover's Mid-Atlantic documenting the best of Del., Md., NJ, and Pa.